Unloading device for mine-skips.



c. L. LAWTON. UNLOADING DEVICE FOR MINE SKIPS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 16I 1912.

1,026,988, 7 Patented May 21, 1912.

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WITNESSES:

A ORIVEY COLUMBIA PLANOURAI'I! COWWASHINOTON. 0.1:,

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Patented May 21, 1912.

INVENTOR 'olwawdl ATTORNEY G. L. LAWTON. UNLOADING DEVICE FOR MINESKIPS.

AIPLIOATION FILED MAR. 16, 1912.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAI'II COUWASNXNGTON, B, c.

G. L. LAWTON. UNLOADING DEVICE ron MINE SKIPS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.18,1912.

Patented May 21, 19.12.

INI/ENTOI? chm, ws\ s swi /ow.

WITNESSES:

A ORA/E) COLUMBIA I-LANOGHAPII $0.. WASHINGTON. u. u.

CHARLES L. LAWTON, OF HANCOCK, MICHIGAN.

UNLOADING DEVICE FOR MINE-SKIPS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 21, 1912.

Application filed March 16, 1912. Serial No. 684,191.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES L. LAwToN, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Hancock, in the county of I-Ioughton and State ofMichigan, have invented a new and useful Unloading Device for Mine-Skips, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means for unloading the hoisting buckets orskips of mines; and its object is to provide a construction whereby theskip will be tilted at a predetermined place in such a manner as tocause it to discharge its contents.

This invention consists, in combination with the inclined leaders ortracks upon which the wheels of the hoisting skips travel, of short,auxiliary, horizontal tracks connected to the main inclined tracks, anadjustable plate forming a portion of each of the incline tracks, andmeans for so operating said plates that the front wheels of the skipwill move horizontally on the auxiliary track, while the rear wheels ofthe skip continue upward on the main track until the skip is at such anangle that its contents will be freely discharged.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a front elevation and Fig. 2 aside elevation of this improved construction. Fig. 3 is a section on theline 3-3 of Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a front view and Fig. 5 a side view of asection of the leaders. Fig. 6 is a plan of the sliding plate forming aportion of the cont-rolling device.

Similar reference characters refer to like parts throughout the severalviews.

In the copper mines of northern Michigan and elsewhere, where ores arehoisted from great depths up inclined shafts, buckets of large size,called skips, often having a capacity of from eight to ten tons of ore,are employed. These skips, such as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, are providedwith sides 1, bottoms 2, ends 3 and tops 4, the tops being shorter thanthe bottoms, and the sides being cut away at the front so that the skipswill have large openings and may be easily loaded. Somewhat back of themiddle of the sides 1, are attached the pins 5 for the lower ends ofside-bars 6, which, together with the cross-bar 7, form the bail of theskip. To the cross-bar 7 a link 8 is attached, and to this link ahoisting cable is connected, which cable is wound on the hoisting drum.These skips are formed with rear wheels 9 and front wheels 10 whichnormally run on flat bars or tracks 11, secured to the leaders 12. Theseleaders extend from the dump-head to the bottom of the shaft, sometimesa distance of nearly a mile. It is very often desirable to discharge theskips at different levels for the purpose of dumping the ore intorailway cars standing on different tracks and into bins. The presentinvention is designed to automatically dump the skips at whicheverpredetermined point desired.

Referring to Fig. 1, it will be noticed that the distance between theouter edges of the rear wheels 9 of the skip is greater than that of thefront wheels 10, which is preferably accomplished by making the frontwheels with narrower faces, and that there are gaps in the rails .11 ofthe right-hand tracks, through which gaps the wheels 10 of the skip havemoved to the position shown in Fig. 2. Secured to the stringers 12 andcxtending horizontally therefrom, are the auxiliary beams 13, whichcarry the steel tracks 14, which are of substantially the width of thefaces of the wheels 10. The outer ends of the beams 13 may be supportedby metal bars 15, as shown in Fig. 2.

As stated before, the pivots 5 of the bail are nearer the rear end ofthe skip and will therefore be below the center of gravity of the skipas it is moving up the incline tracks.

WVhen the skip is traveling upward and the wheels 10 reach the break inthe track 11, they will pass onto the tracks 14:, but the wider rear,wheels 9 will continue up on the edges of the shiftable rail-plates 17from one section of the track 11 to the section next above. As a result,the skip will assume the position shown in Fig. 2, and its contents willbe discharged. The hoisting engine stops when the skip has reached thisposition.

The mechanism herein set forth may be adapted for skips of any desireddimensions so long as the outside measurement of the hind wheels issufficiently greater than that of the front wheels. 1

The plates 17 of the left-hand tracks in Fig. 1 are shown moved inward,so that their inner edges are flush with the inner edges of the tracks11, in which condition, the track being entire, the skip will pass upbeyond these plates 17 in the usual manner.

The stringers 12 are formed with notches 19 through which the wheels 10may pass. The mechanism for moving these plates 17 inward and outward,as desired, is as follows: Reinforcing the stringers 12 are the channels20, as shown in Fig. 3, and in proper notches in the stringers 12 arebearing plates 21, and secured to the sides of the channels 20 aresupporting angle bars 23, for the slidable plates 17. Short spacingblocks 2 1 hold the cover plates 25 proper distances from the bearingplates 21 and angle bars 23, the bolts 26 securing the parts together.The rail-plates 17 are slidable laterally on the bearing plates andangle bars 23, and are preferably provided with pins 27, which enterslots 28, in the actuating or cam-plates 29. These cam-plates are inpairs, one for each rail 11, and are longitudinally slidable between thecover plates 25 and the rail plates 17, and will move the rail-platesinward or outward as desired. The slots of the cam-plates of the trackconverge upward. Secured to a shaft 30, which is revolubly mounted inblocks 31 on the stringers, are levers 32, to the ends of which areattached the wireropes or other connectors 33 and 34. The former connectto the lower ends of the cam-plates 29, while the latter pass around thepulleys 35, mounted on thestringers, and then connect to the upper endsof these cam-plates. An operating or controlling lever 36 connects tothis shaft and the workman may swing this lever 36 down and by means ofthe mechanism described, slide the cam-plates 29 of the right-hand track(Fig. 1) upward, causing the railplates 17 to move outward to thepositions shown. Or he may swing a similar lever 38 on the shaft 39 inthe opposite direction and cause the rail-plates 17 ofthe left-handtrack to move inward. Thus the dumping of the skip at any predeterminedpoint is controlled by a lever 36 38.

It will be readily understood that there may be any number ofdischarging stations along the lines of stringers; that the posi tion ofthe shafts 3039 may be varied as desired; and that this invention is notlimited to the construction of the operating mechanism for therail-plates 17 which is shown in the drawings.

I claim- 1. In an unloading device for wheeled hoisting skips, thecombination with inclined.

rails having gaps, of rail-plates slidable laterally to open or closethe gaps as desired, of auxiliary, horizontal rails connecting to themain rails at the lower ends of said gap,

and means to move the rail-plates inward to close said gap.

2. An unloading device for hoisting skips provided With front and rearWheels, and the tread of whose rear wheels is wider than that of thefront wheels, the combination of inclined stringers and rails thereonupon which the wheels of the skip normally run, said stringers and railsformed with gaps through which the front wheels may pass, rail-platesslidable laterally from an inward position closing said gaps to anoutward position where the plates act as tracks for the rear wheels butopen the gaps to permit the frontwheels to pass through, auxiliary railsconnected to the main rails at the lower ends of said gaps to receivesaid front wheels, and means to shift said rail-plates.

3. In an unloading device for wheeled hoisting skips, the combination ofinclined rails having gaps, of rail-plates slidable laterally to open orclose said gaps as desired, auxiliary rails connecting to the main railsat the lower ends of the gaps, means to support said auxiliary rails,pins projecting upward from said rail-plates, a slidable camplate foreach rail-plate and having diagonal cam-slots to receive the pins on therailplate, guiding means for the cam-plates and rail-plates, and meansto move the camplates longitudinally in either direction atwill.

4. In an unloading device for wheeled hoisting skips, the combination ofinclined rails having gaps, of laterally movable rail-plates to closeand open the gaps, pins mounted on said rail-plates, cam-plates havingdiagonal slots to receive the pins, guides for the cam-plates andrail-plates; means to longitudinally slide the cam-plates comprising ashaft, levers thereon, and connectors between the levers and cam-plates;and auxil iary rails for the wheels of the skips which pass through thegaps, connecting to the R. T. MiiHLHiiUsER, W. M. BELL. v

Couies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

